


Morbid

by fuckthenaysayers



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Blood, Crushes, Gen, M/M, Taxidermy, but better safe than sorry, it's not especially graphic honestly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-13
Updated: 2014-09-13
Packaged: 2018-02-17 06:22:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2299580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fuckthenaysayers/pseuds/fuckthenaysayers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Welcome home, Rye bread. Here to pick up the little guy?"</p>
<p>Ryan smiled kindly at Michael as he entered his shop, eyes casually glancing around the place looking for new pieces. It seemed like Michael had something new on display every week, and honestly it surprised Ryan that he could even tell, considering that about every open spot in the store had some sort of display in it.</p>
<p>"I am indeed. I trust you took good care of it, as always."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Morbid

There was something strangely exhilarating about shooting a gun. Peering down the barrel and aiming at something, feeling his finger pull the trigger. The sound that enveloped the surroundings and even the kick back shot sparks through him. And when a shot took down some game? It felt even better.

Ryan never thought he was an especially morbid person. Sure, he liked hunting a bit more than most people, and he wouldn't deny that he's made more than his fair share of jokes regarding hunting 'the most dangerous game' next, but that didn't make him morbid, right? It was a typical thing for hunters to want to display their victories too, or that's what he decided when he first got an animal he shot stuffed for display.

He mainly hunted deer or turkey, finding a distinct pleasure in catching his own food, though he had to have someone slice it up for him so he wouldn't mess up the specimens, and that someone was the curly-haired young man who owned the only taxidermy shop in town. He made a killing due to the fact that not only did he stuff game, but he'd slice up whatever you shot for free if you let him have what you didn't want, to do god knows what.

His name was Michael, and he was the one person solidifying Ryan's belief that he was not, in fact, morbid. Morbid would better describe Michael, after all he was the one who made his living off of cutting up animal bodies and stuffing them to look like they were alive again. Ryan just happened to use his services now and then. And enjoyed them. A lot.

He was a pretty fun guy, to be honest. A little off-putting, and surprisingly intimidating for a younger and shorter man, Michael was a mix of feisty and funny, with more than a little bit of odd thrown in there too.

"Welcome home, Rye bread. Here to pick up the little guy?"

Ryan smiled kindly at Michael as he entered his shop, eyes casually glancing around the place looking for new pieces. It seemed like Michael had something new on display every week, and honestly it surprised Ryan that he could even tell, considering that about every open spot in the store had some sort of display in it.

"I am indeed. I trust you took good care of it, as always."

Michael chuckled, reaching under his counter and grabbing something with both hands. He pulled up a large brown rabbit, stuffed and positioned in a way that it looked like it was just laying on the counter, still alive.

"Hope you'll be happy with him. It's rare I get to work with such a little thing, it's nice to get something besides deer."

"To be fair it was an accident, I aimed a little low and got it instead of the pheasant behind it. Only seemed fair to make use of it since I went and accidentally ended its life already."

"Well I'm sure you'll take good care of him now."

Ryan laughed brightly, pulling out his wallet and paying Michael before picking up the stuffed rabbit.

"He'll be a very nice addition to my home, thank you Michael."

"Until next time, Ryan."

Ryan left with a smile on his face, happy for the conversation and for the new conversation piece tucked under his arm. His hunting buddies, two men named Jack and Geoff, were waiting outside for him by his truck. Jack was giving him a confused look, Geoff's one of apathy.

"I can't believe how easy you talk with that guy."

"Who, Michael? He's a nice guy."

"He's fucking weird, Ryan. Gives me the creeps just going in his shop."

Jack pretended to get the shivers, Ryan rolling his eyes as he opened his car door and set the rabbit down on the passenger's side.

"He's a good kid, he's just got a weird day job. To be fair we're the sort of people who supply him with his animals, so what does that say about us?"

"Hey, I don't go stuffing my game and turning them into dolls, don't lump me in here."

Geoff grumbled, Jack sighing in annoyance at the lack of backup given to him.

"I'm not saying he's a bad dude. I'm just saying I don't get how you can talk with him so easy and not get creeped out."

Ryan shrugged, honestly unsure himself.

"I guess our personalities just click. I've gotta get home, I'll see you guys later."

With that, Ryan hopped into his truck and sped off, Geoff and Jack watching as he left. Geoff sighed and crossed his arms as his eyes followed the shrinking vehicle.

"I still say he's crushing on him."

Jack sighed, sticking his hands in his pockets as he peered into the shop, Michael happily dusting some stuffed raccoons.

"20 bucks says he's just flirting for a discount."

\--

Though Ryan never thought to put a label to his feelings, he guessed he'd use the word like for how he felt about Michael. In a more casual sense than anything, he liked the guy like he would Geoff or Jack. Or that's how he had been classifying it, until his next visit to the shop.

Being the constant customer he was, Michael had grown close with him fast and told him to come to the back if he ever came in and Michael wasn't up front, a privilege typically left for employees or close friends. He tried not to think much of it, but secretly he was a little touched that the curly-haired man would let him into the deep confines of his shop unattended.

He arrived a bit earlier than usual that day, eager to receive the fresh venison Michael was cutting up from the deer he'd shot yesterday, which Michael had promised to have cut and ready for him today. He was a bit too eager, judging from the emptiness of the store front. Ryan thought nothing of it though, taking the chance to use the special privilege granted to him from Michael and walked into the back room.

"Honey, I'm home."

He called out jokingly, looking around for Michael. He found him even further back, in a cold room Ryan would liken to an operating room. Michael stood in the middle of the room, donned in white surgical gloves, a white apron, and a white surgical mask covering his mouth. Red stained the pure white of his apron and gloves, and it was clear as day where the red came from. A deer was laid out on a table in front of Michael, more specifically, half a deer. The curly-haired man looked up, eyes brightening as he saw Ryan. His one hand was clutching something, which Ryan recognized as the deer's heart, as Michael's free hand grabbed at his mask and pulled it down, revealing a bright toothy grin.

"Howdy, Ryan!"

He said, waving the heart-holding hand a little as Ryan froze in place. It took a couple of seconds before Ryan literally yowled like a cat getting its tail stepped on, turned, and ran with all his might out of the shop. He didn't get far, slamming right into Jack and Geoff who were just about to enter the shop, the trio stumbling a little. Jack immediately caught the look on Ryan's face, concern flooding his own.

"Ryan, are you okay?"

The normally suave man now stumbled for words, flustered and flushing red as he tried to explain himself but failing, which only managed to get his friends flustered too. He finally found his words, but they came out choppy and between heavy breaths.

"Michael... deer.... covered, god just.... just covered in blood..."

The look on Ryan's face turned odder and odder, the man groaning as he crouched down and cupped his face in his hands.

"I am so disgusted yet I have the weirdest boner right now..."

He whimpered, his friends stiffening in shock at the admission. They did nothing for a moment, before Jack groaned quietly and slipped Geoff a twenty, the older man smirking as he pocketed the money and mumbled,

"Called it."

Maybe Ryan was morbid after all.

 


End file.
